Hello all - -

It's great to be here... my first post ever on a blog or forum of any kind! I just started this program and wondering what to expect and I have a few questions for the folks who have been around a while....... A little history first, so you will know me.

I quit smoking on my own almost a year ago and have gained 30 lbs on top of 20 that I already needed to lose and I have tried approximately 7 diets in the last two years... - - yikes!!!

I grew up with the best metabolism ever - - I was always active, ate no junk and was one of those kids who loved vegetables, no bad snacking, no caffeine or any carbonated drinks except special occasions, hated cookies and sweets (still do for the most part). When I hit my mid-20's and started working in an office environment, the sitting around all day combined with eating what was around the office, I started to gain. My late twenties came and I was obsessed with getting in shape - - I yo-yo dieted as needed through my thirties and now that I am 41 .......... No matter what diet I have tried over the last two years, it wasn't sustainable for one reason or another. I now have huge calves and underlying muscle that I have built up, and want to get back to the right weight for my height and not have to be working out hard doing weights and lots of cardio 7X a week for several hours just to maintain it. This is not sustainable for the next 30+ years....

Once I received this info, it felt right, sounded right, but I am still skeptical.... not sure this plan is the answer for life or not - as the other diets before have claimed this as well. I am starting into my second week of the TSP.

Through all of the above, thankfully, I still have healthy adrenal glands and am still insulin sensitive. I am lucky to have no illnesses, allergies, or diseases. I know Dr. S states that if you follow this your body will go back to it's composition..........(if you build it they will come??).... and a standard weight chart is provided in one of her books. I bought all three books + the cookbook- - which I have been using. I am worried my body will settle somewhere way higher than that because I have about 50 lbs to lose and not sure if the plan for the 25 grams carbs + lower saturated fat section is the plan to get me there. I plan to start excersizing this week, now that I have the foods, food preparation and eating understood.

Some questions I have:

1. How well does this work for people who have the healthy adrenal glands and are insuling senstive? Any success stories to share and timeframes?

2. How realisitic is it to expect to even see the range for 5'4 again?

3. Recipes in the cookbook, are the portions and fat counts for those that are on the maintenance phase... should those in the fat-loss phase be doing something different?

4. Any insight on how long it took some to lose the weight of 50 lbs with heathly adrenal glands and insulin sensitive? I am looking for incentive here.

5. Which of the plans in the programs would you suggest I follow for fat-loss? Do I stay on this until the end?

Any comments or information sharing would be greatly appreciated. I am thankful in advance for your insight!

Hi, you can check out my journal, I have been with it since 2002. There you will find others that posted in my journal who were and are on the SP program, you can read their experiences, too.

This is the easiest way to answer your ?s since the journals contain the journey notes! Just click on the link to my journal in the lower right corner of my post, little green button.

Also, the last page of my journal contains a list of my weight loss by date. Altho it's different with all folks since our bodies are all different, you can at least guage my progress with loss over the past 5 years.

You can skim though the crappy boring parts of the journal(s) and get to some filet. I have great recipes posted in mine throughout.

My body healed fairly fast considering how long I'd been so fat. I am pretty well able to process carbs at this point and for me now it's a matter of walking daily and eating normal portions of whole foods, not supersize portions of crap. Although I do eat crap sometimes.

Hope this helps. Check out the journal first, then ask more ?s. Good luck! --Betty

You are over half-way there! how awesome! I am hoping to be somewhere close to my goal by end of year if possible.... then maintaining after that.... will check out your journal... and any insight on how to create my own journal would be much appreciated... I can't find a "journaling" link anywhere.

Thanks Betty! Best wishes and will check in with you after I have read through your journal.

go to
http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=36

there you'll find the explanation.

HTH

Thanks HTH for the link..... I have my jourmal up and running....

Much appreciated!